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The Top 10 Gift Cards To Buy For The Holidays

Many holiday shoppers strive not to buy gift cards for their friends and families as gifts, because the notion is that you took the easy way out of buying someone a gift. Personally, I think gift cards can be just as personal as a traditional gift, as long as you buy the right gift card for that person on your list. For instance, buying a Best Buy gift card for your mom who has no interest in electronics would be a waste. But, buying a Best Buy gift card for someone like me, who loves new gadgets, would be a great gift for me. So, here are my top 10 gift cards to consider for the people on your list.

Amazon gift card: this is the perfect gift for someone who hates fighting the retail store crowds to shop. If you know someone who loves buying stuff online, but you have no idea what type of gift card to get them, get an Amazon card. They can choose from virtually anything they want on Amazon.

Gas gift card: Gas is cheap now, but that doesn’t mean a gas card isn’t still a cool gift card to give out. Now, a $25 dollar gift card can get someone an entire tank of gas rather than half a tank like it was a few months ago. You might view this one as impersonal, but it’s definitely practical. If I received a gas gift card, I would use it right away, rather than having it sit in my wallet for 6 months. Gift Card To A Favorite Restaurant: These are great for your parents or a married couple that you are close to. We like making a theme like a “dinner date on us” type gift. We’ll get someone a restaurant gift card to their favorite restaurant and a gift card to the movies. It’s a great way to help out a relationship by allowing them to get away for the night. If they have kids, offer to babysit them for the night!

Spa Gift Card: This is perfect for your mom, spouse, girlfriend, sister, or daughter. They’ll love the chance to pamper themselves. Car Maintenance Gift Card: I hate paying to maintenance my cars. It’s expensive and it’s an inconvenience to your life. Make it a little easier on someone by helping them pay for it. This is great for a single mom or elderly women.

Liquor Store Gift Card: This one sounds weird, and definitely don’t get it for someone who might have a problem with alcohol. But, if you know a couple who likes to make mixed drinks or entertains a lot, they’ll definitely enjoy this gift card, because no one likes buying their own booze!

Home Maintenance Gift Card: A Home Depot or Lowe’s gift card is perfect for someone who just bought a house or that special someone who loves doing home projects. We just bought a house, and I am crossing my fingers that people get us these gift cards. Gift Card to a Museum or Theme Park: Any gift card you can think of that allows a family, couple, or you and a friend to go out and enjoy doing something is an awesome gift. Gift Card to Their Favorite Clothing Store: Gift cards become more personal when you take the time to figure out someone’s favorite store. If you’re shopping for your mom, sister, or wife, figure out what store they buy the most clothes from, and they’ll appreciate those gift cards the most.

iTunes Gift Card: great stocking stuffers, great for kids to grandparents, and no one enjoys buying their own music. But, iTunes is so much more than music now. You can buy audio books, movies, and TV shows.

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Erik and his wife, Lindzee, live in Orlando, Florida with a baby boy on the way. Erik works as an account manager for a marketing company, and considers counseling friends, family and the readers of Money Crashers his personal ministry to others. Erik became passionate about personal finance and helping others make wise financial decisions after racking up over $20k in credit card and student loan debt within the first two years of college.

http://www.budgetpulse.com Craig

For me I think the best is Best Buy, Borders, or itunes. Can’t go wrong there. You need to know exactly what type of store or card the person would want before you buy something.

http://cashcuddler.com Babalu

Amazon is a good place to do shopping, and I welcome any shopping credits there. Another good reason for this is they don’t subtract value as time goes on, as some stores do. People have lost out when the stores that issued the cards went bankrupt, so buy the gift cards cautiously, and be sure to use up all your shopping credit before it gets lost. http://cashcuddler.com

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